Eric Le Van (born June 14, 1964) is an American classical pianist particularly known for his interpretations of the music of Brahms and Scriabin.[1] He is also an archivist of unusual repertoire.[2][3] He has been guest soloist and recitalist in major festivals and venues in the United States and in Europe, notably the Weimar Franz Liszt Festival[4] and the Beethovenfest in Bonn,[5] the Fetes Romantiques de Nohant Festival in France,[6] as well as the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.[7]
Early on he entered the class of Earle C. Voorhies, whose own professor was Alexander Siloti, one of Liszt's pupils, and a cousin and teacher of Rachmaninov.[8] After graduating from the University of Southern California, he moved to Europe in 1986 where he became a protege of Rudolf Buchbinder at the Musik-Akademie in Basel, Switzerland. In Basel, he studied chamber music with Walter Levin, founder and first violinist of the LaSalle Quartet, and pianist Gérard Wyss. Later, he was a Fulbright scholar in the class of Karl-Heinz Kammerling at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover, Germany, and pursued doctoral studies at La Sorbonne in Paris.
In chamber music, his partners include Michaela Paetsch,[9] and Axel Strauss.[10]
He was artistic director of the Franz Liszt Festival in Alsace, France from 1997 to 2003.[11] He now lives in the Los Angeles area with his family.